The present invention relates to computerized wagering or lottery systems, and more particularly to a lottery or wagering system that graphically portrays the game in animation as a race.
Many states have used lottery or on-line games, such as number games and xe2x80x9cinstant winnerxe2x80x9d games, as an added source of revenue. These games have become quite popular and successful.
One type of numbers game involves the use of numerous remote computer stations located in stores throughout the state which communicate with a central computer. A customer seeking to play the game marks the numbers he wishes to enter as his choices on a computer scannable or readable entry form. Alternatively, the customer may elect a Quick-pick option that is provided by many lottery systems for random selection of the customer""s numbers by a computer. The customer pays the entry fee, usually no more than a few dollars, and the store clerk feeds the entry form into a card reader controlled by the computer, which registers the numbers selected and an ID number in the central computer. After wagering has been closed to new entries, a carefully monitored selection committee chooses the winning numbers. This may involve, for example, operating a machine loaded with balls having eligible numbers marked thereon to select at random the appropriate number of balls. This selection process often is broadcast on local television stations so that contestants can watch to see if their numbers have been selected. While many varieties of such games exist, examples of patents relating to this general scheme include U.S. Pat. No. 4,689,742 (Troy) and U.S. Pat. No. 4,494,197 (Troy).
U.S. Pat. No. 5,035,422 (Berman) appears to discuss an interactive game show which seeks to allow home viewers to select an outcome from a number of possible choices and to share in the prizes awarded on the show.
Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 5,283,734 (Van Kohorn) discusses an interactive television wagering system whereby audience members can enter a response to a situation presented on television by entering a response on a keyboard. According to the patent, lottery games may be played by entering numbers at remote stations and stored in a central computer. The winning numbers are selected and presented at a remote station, following which winners can redeem their tickets.
Another computerized lottery wagering system is apparently discussed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,415,416 (Scangelli). This system appears to direct a telephone caller with an automatic call director through a number of selections to assist the caller in placing a bet; the cost of the bet is charged to a credit or debit card. The system assigns an associated ticket number to each customer.
Each of the above-identified patents is incorporated by reference herein in their entirety. While the foregoing patents attempt to make lotteries more accessible to bettors, they do not vary much from standard on-line games. It appears that states and other entities running such lottery games have experienced some difficulty in increasing the number of interested day-to-day participants, and in maintaining the day-to-day interest of those who do participate on a regular basis.
As a result, a need exists for a lottery game which enhances the intrinsic excitement of the game to maintain and preferably increase the interest of those who do not play often, as well as the interest of everyday players.
The present invention overcomes these and other disadvantages of prior games and provides a lottery system having in one embodiment one or more vendor stations and a game generator graphically portraying a lottery result in animation as a race for video display. The vendor stations are configured to provide predetermined game parameters corresponding to race participants to a player for selection. The game generator is configured for data communications with the vendor station or stations, and has a storage device storing a plurality of video segments of animated races, a lottery result selector randomly selecting at a predetermined time an order of finish of the race participants in the race to be graphically portrayed, a game controller retrieving selected ones of the video segments stored in the storage device according to the order of finish selected by the lottery result selector and composing the retrieved segments into a video sequence, and a communication interface communicating the composed video sequence to the at least one vendor station. The composed video sequence is preferably contiguous and seamless.
The race may comprise a plurality of stages, with each stage having a corresponding subset of the plurality of video segments. The game controller selects for each stage one video segment from the corresponding subset.
There may be a plurality of combinations of the video segments stored in the storage device that are possible for each order of finish. The game controller selects one of the plurality of combinations that are possible for the selected order of finish.
The present invention also provides a lottery system which graphically portrays a lottery result in animation as K races. The system has at least one vendor station and a game generator. The vendor station is configured to provide predetermined game parameters corresponding to race participants of the K races to a player for selection. The player selecting a sequence of K selected ones of the game parameters corresponding to the K races. The game generator is configured for data communications with the vendor station, and has a storage device storing a plurality of animated races, and a lottery result selector randomly selecting winners of the K races at a predetermined time after the selected game parameters have been communicated by the at least one vendor station to the game generator. The game generator retrieves K selected ones of the plurality of animated races stored in the storage device according to the K race winners selected by the lottery result selector, and composes the retrieved races into a video sequence. The composed video sequence is communicated from the game generator to the at least one vendor station. The received video sequence is displayed by the vendor station at a video display. The K selected animated races retrieved from the storage device preferably are distinct.